adminCivil servants have been pressing the Government to clearly enunciate how they were going to participate in the empowerment drive.
In an interview yesterday, a senior official in the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment who preferred anonymity said civil servants deserved to be empowered like everyone else and revealed that a funding facility was being set up for them.
“The ministry has set up a Public Service Corporation Fund that would cater for the empowerment of civil servants,” said the official.
“Civil servants are not left out of the empowerment programme. They deserve to benefit like everyone. Under this facility there is a set of shareholding and civil servants will get shares at mines as groups and individuals.”
The official, however, said the scheme was at its earliest stages and could not be drawn to elaborate further.
The president of the Public Service Association, Mrs Cecilia Alexander, said civil servants have been informed about the development and together with the Government were working on the issue.
“I am aware of the issue but I am not the right person to talk about it. You can talk to Mr Richard Gundane who has been seconded to the committee that is dealing with the issue,” she said.
Mr Gundane is the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta).
Mr Gundane confirmed the development.
“Yes we have held discussions with the concerned ministry so that civil servants can also benefit from the indigenisation and empowerment programme. We have had discussions at a higher level and indications are that a scheme of this nature is in the pipeline,” said Mr Gundane.
“The discussions have not been finalised but we hope that they will be finalised soon and that when it comes it will benefit us as civil servants.
“We have been involved in preliminary consultations on the issue and a lot of consultation is still going on. As Zimta we have a running theme which is ‘Enhancing the Status of Teachers Through Economic Empowerment’. This is our thrust as an organisation to empower our members. We got a strong mandate from our conference in Bulawayo and this is a positive development towards that goal.”
Contacted for comment Zimta president Mrs Tendai Chikowore said civil servants were hopeful that the scheme would transform the economic status of Government workers.
“This is a welcome development. We held preliminary talks with the ministry and there was a technical committee that was set up comprising of some of our own people. We are working with the ministry officials,” she said.
Online Reporter